Cursed Heart
by The Real JosephineSilver
Summary: AU. Sequel to 'Cursed Blood.' Percy's hometown has fallen. His family and friends - his pack - disbanded and dispersed among the land. Thalia is recovering from torture. Jason is conflicted about his new nature and loyalties. Annabeth finds herself questioning every law she's ever obeyed as she falls for someone forbidden. The stakes are higher than ever. Failure isn't an option.


Holy mother of god, I AM AN AWFUL HUMAN BEING. This is being posted so much later than I promised - at first it was because the site was being a douche and not letting me log in, but then it was mostly about me being lazy. I am the QUEEN of procrastination.

But it is here now! Do not fear! I love you all and hope you enjoy this somewhat short and crappy prologue!

For those of you newbs who just clicked the link on the pjo archive cause it sounded interesting, you MUST go to my profile and click on 'Cursed Blood.' This is the sequel to that and this series has to be read in order to make sense.

Also, I am now on AO3 under the name JosephineSilver, and Mortal Instruments fans should head on over and check out my fic 'The City is at War.'

On with the chapter!

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**Prologue: _Foreshadowing_**

**_•_**

_Three-thousand years from the current day, the highest mountain peak in the land of the Gods_.

'

_"I am not here, you see me not; I am but air, made purely of light. You see me not, I am not here; I am dust and shadows, born as one with the night_."

The voice was low and rich as it chanted its way through a charm of invisibility, multiple timbres layered upon one another.

"Lupa," this second voice interrupted the Wolf Goddesses ritual; sweet and low. "What are you doing, child?"

Del had hidden herself well within the most shadowed nook of the God cave, called such because it was supposedly where the gods and goddesses of the Olympic religion came to receive prayer and worship. The young and naive mountain raised village girl could not see any of the people in the cavern around the corner from her, but she could hear them talking as clearly as if they were whispering into her ears, and the shadows cast by them and the flickering green fire they had was terrifying, to say the least.

"Athene," the irate reply of the first voice - the layered, duplicated one, now stripped down to a single, lone speaker; female and deceptively sweet. "Is it not obvious?"

_"Aerl brgh_," the second voice - _Athene_ - spat out in a language that was both guttural and liquid at the same time. "_Cnaed ithrl; trhba ierae frl_."

Lupa snorted inelegantly. "I care not of what our so called '_King_' orders. I am the mother of all things wild and _free_, and my domain and subjects are called Legion, their numbers are so high. My wolves -"

"- Are forbidden," Athene cut in, switching back to the regular Grecian tongue of the region. "My father fears their power. Already he has slaughtered the ones you have created. Curse more and he shall cast you from Olympus."

Lupa's breathing grew ragged and uneven. "He _killed_ my children?" She hissed. _"Nr kailoch_?"

Athene was silent for a moment. "I _am_ sorry," she finally murmured. "But I do believe that what my father did is wise. It is best not only for us, but for the humans we gain worship from. Their faith is all that keeps is strong, and if they continue to be slaughtered by your Wolf shifters, they will cease to believe in us, and we will all Fade."

Lupa snarled, "You will not fade, Athene," she hissed out. "I will not _allow_ your end to be so painless and so quick, not after what you have done to me." Her voice rose to a shout. "Your father makes no decisions without your consent, he places far too much trust in your so called wisdom -_ you pushed_ him towards this, I know you did, you have always _hated_ me after all -"

"_Please_, Lupa!" Athene sounded genuinely distraught at the accusations being thrown her way to Del, who was cowering, pressing harder into the rough and cold stone of the cavern wall behind her. "I would _never_ -"

_"Dm mkf itael_!" Lupa bellowed. "You must meddle everywhere, no? You were jealous, admit it! You hated the fact that I had children, that I was a mother - precious, pristine and _innocent_ Athene, the eternal virgin - you cannot have children so you sought to destroy mine."

The strange green firelight flickered, disappearing momentarily.

Everything turned black.

When Del could see again, something felt off about the muted glow of the light. Something felt - _bad_.

"Well, you _will_ have a child, Athene," Lupa murmured. "This is my promise to you, in the unbreakable name of Styx. When my children have spread their 'plague' over our home country and the gods start to Fade - you will not join them. You will Fall into the wretched grasp of mortality, and then my most favoured child will bring your progeny nothing but blood and misery. _Uir xqae nf_."

The glowing light, until that moment muted and dull, flared up.

Athene screamed. "You will be punished for this," she panted. "Already I can see the signs in your eyes. You have Fallen, Lupa."

Del couldn't see the grin, hidden as she was, but she could hear it. "Then I suppose all is going to plan, no?"

The light flared, even brighter than before - hotter too, like Apollo had just joined the party - and Del knew she was going to die.

_For when a mortal looks upon a gods true form with the naked eye, the mere sight overwhelms both their soul and body, and they are consigned eternally to Tartarus_.

-X-

_Two-thousand years from the current day, the throne room of the gods, Olympus_

'

"Has there been any word?" Zeus' voice was grave and deep.

"None, my liege," Hermes said from his prostrate position on the floor at the foot of the Kings of the gods throne. "Lupa has gone completely silent. No riots in her name. No massacres. No more of her wolven creations running around, spreading fear and terror. It is almost as if she has ceased to exist."

The woman standing beside Zeus - dark hair and grey eyes, his most favoured daughter, Athene the wise - frowned in concern. "Keep searching," she commanded. "In fact, get Ares on her trail. See if his unquenchable blood thirst lends him aid in sniffing her out."

-X-

_Seven-and-a-half centuries from the current day, the woods outside of the Athens citadel, Olympia_

'

Lupa smiled.

_It has begun, oh so wise Athene, she thought. My children will rise, and as they do so, both the gods and Olympus shall fall._

_And such is my revenge_.

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I really hope this didn't confuse anyone too badly. I apologise if it did.


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